Bitten by a tarantula. An unusual tarantula spider and the variety of its species. Brazilian jet black tarantula

18.10.2019

There are about 1200 species. In practice, this family is scattered throughout the world. There are even species living in the Arctic.

The poisonousness of tarantulas has long been known, but its degree has been clearly exaggerated. Scientists suggest that many cases of severe poisoning, among which the death of people was noted, did not come from the bites of a tarantula, but from the bite of a "black widow" that lives in many southern regions of the Earth along with tarantulas.

In Italy, the tarantula has long been considered extremely dangerous. It was associated with its bites, which was common there several centuries ago. nervous disease"chorea". There were especially many cases of the disease in the vicinity of Taranto, which is why the spider was called "tarantula". Moreover, it was believed that the best way to remove poison from the body was through quick, swift movements. So, in Italy, the well-known tarantella dance arose: people, as they say, danced until they dropped and remained alive. This reinforced their belief in the need to move in the event of a tarantula bite. In fact, the bite of a tarantula, as a rule, represents mortal danger only for small animals.

The fact that the toxicity of tarantula venom is greatly exaggerated is told by a geologist of one of the expeditions in the Aral Sea region, who himself, due to his own frivolity, was bitten by this spider. Tired of sports shoes and left barefoot, he stepped on a spider, which immediately sank its jaws into his leg. The tarantula was immediately slammed with a boot, and the victim, having read horrors about tarantulas, decided to calmly wait for death. The pain began to slowly spread through the leg, and then he suddenly felt some improvement. He listened to his feelings: the leg hurt noticeably less.

A few days later, the pain completely disappeared, only some ossified in the leg remained, but it soon disappeared. The man could not understand anything. Having mentally experienced the inevitable onset of death, the geologist only in Moscow, surrounded by literature, found out that the tarantula is indeed a deadly poisonous creature, but not for people. The idea of a tarantula, which cost a person several difficult hours of saying goodbye to life, he developed as a result of reading the detective story “Tarantula Bite”. The author of the detective, without reading the scientific literature, wrote a book that misled many readers about the poisonousness of this spider.

Tarantula venom is highly toxic to invertebrates, which the spider often feeds on. It can also kill small vertebrates. The toxin is of a protein nature. It easily penetrates into the body of animals due to the substances it contains - histamine and hyaluronylase, which increase the permeability of tissues. Tarantula venom affects smooth muscles, causing them to contract spasmodically.

In the body of vertebrates, there are striated muscles (these are the motor muscles of the arms and legs) and intercostal smooth muscles, which have a different structure. Intercostal smooth muscles line many organs, that is, they are located where slow and smooth contraction is necessary.

Poisons of a tarantula of one of the species that live in South America have a strong effect on the tissue surrounding the bite site. Possessing a high local effect, poisons cause deep cell damage - necrosis at the site of the bite and around, and the person almost does not feel pain when bitten. Necrosis in Greek means "death". Under the action of toxic substances, tissue cells are destroyed, where the poison has penetrated. The area of necrosis has a whitish-grayish color. The tissues lose their structure and are a shapeless mass.

Going on holiday to warm countries you have to be extremely careful. Local inhabitants of flora and fauna are not always hospitable to humans. These include the tarantula - a spider-like creature with a rather intimidating appearance. Protecting its cocoon with laid eggs, a spider can consider a person an enemy and attack. Therefore, it is important to know what constitutes a tarantula bite.

Tarantulas live in warm regions. The most poisonous is the Apulian tarantula, which lives in Italy, in the vicinity of the city of Toronto. The size of the female reaches up to 8 cm in length. But this kind of spider is also found in the south of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. This tarantula is called South Russian or Mizgir. It is smaller in size (2-3 cm in length) and not as poisonous as its Italian counterpart, but meeting with it will also be unpleasant. Can a tarantula be considered dangerous to humans?

A little about tarantulas

These large spiders belong to the class of wolf spiders, they do not weave a web to catch their prey, but hunt it in the style of predators. The arthropod lies in wait for its prey and pounces on it, releasing a poisonous substance into the body of its prey. The main food of spiders are various insects and small animals.

Arachnids breed in late spring and early summer. At this time, spider venom is considered the most toxic. The fertilized female spins a web in her hole, and then lays her eggs in it. The cocoon with eggs is attached to the belly of the spider. When the offspring hatch, it continues to be on the mother's body until the little spiders begin to feed on their own.

Many people are interested in the question: is the tarantula dangerous for humans? These insects do not pose a serious threat to human life, although their bites are quite painful. Having met a man, a female spider can attack him only in order to protect her offspring. Often these arachnids are confused with the tarantula, which is quite larger and more intimidating than the tarantula.

What does a spider bite look like

The most susceptible to insect bites are young children, the elderly and people suffering from allergic reactions. For an adult healthy person The bite of a tarantula is manifested by the following symptoms:

at the site of the bite, you can clearly see 2 small punctures;
pain from an arthropod attack is comparable to the bites of several bees or a hornet;
the affected area turns red, a slight edema appears (see);
there is itching and burning in the bitten area;
there may be a slight rise in body temperature, which soon stabilizes.

Please note: the tarantula is dangerous to humans only when an allergic reaction occurs. In this case, the symptoms are more severe and there may be complications:

the place affected by the bite swells;
bubble formation is observed;
there is severe pain that does not go away with time;
body temperature rises to critical levels;
a person begins to feel sick, vomiting may occur (see);
severe headaches;
, general weakness of the body;
heart rate increases and blood pressure drops;
a feeling of numbness, first in the limbs, and then in the whole body;
labored breathing;
loss of consciousness.

Attention! In case of manifestations of allergies, in no case should you hesitate! The bitten person should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. medical institution where they can get professional help.

How to help with a tarantula bite

After a spider attack, you should not let things take their course (see). The injured person needs first aid. The bite site is washed with warm soapy water and treated with any antiseptic (alcohol, peroxide). To eliminate pain, it is recommended to apply a cold compress to the site of the tarantula bite. Suitable for both ice and a bottle of cold water.

After eliminating the pain, you can lubricate the bitten surface of the skin with an ointment containing an antibiotic (Levomycetin, Levomekol), or an anti-inflammatory ointment. If antihistamines are available, be sure to give them to the victim. It is better for a bitten person to ensure complete rest and consumption a large number warm liquid.

The bitten limb can be lifted up, this will not allow the edema to accumulate in one place. You can not comb the bite of a tarantula, otherwise you can bring a bacterial infection into the wound. To relieve itching, it is better to lubricate the affected area with insect bite gel, which has a cooling effect. The patient must be closely monitored, and as soon as serious allergy symptoms occur, see a doctor.

Advice! A place bitten by a tarantula should not be burned with a hot object. It is also not recommended to dissect the affected area. The poison cannot be extracted in this way, but the infection is easy to bring.

Bite Prevention

To avoid an insect attack, you must follow the following rules:

Do not stop in nature for the night, in places where there are a lot of dry branches, fallen trees and stones.
Do not walk barefoot on the ground.
The tent for the night must be tightly closed with a screen.
Shake out your belongings before getting dressed and putting on shoes.
Children need to be explained that in no case should you tease and catch a spider they see. An angry spider is able to jump up and can bite a person.
If the tarantula is still bitten, you can try to crush the spider and lubricate the bitten place with its blood. The blood of an arthropod contains an antidote to its poison.

Some facts about tarantulas

AT old times In Italy, tarantula bites were considered fatal. There was only one way to avoid death - by dancing. The bitten inhabitants began to dance, waving their arms and legs to exhaustion. This is how the famous tarantella dance appeared.

Many people keep these arthropods as pets. Tarantulas do not require special care and live for quite a long time. A female spider can live next to a human for about 30 years.

In nature, tarantulas are very strongly attached to their home. When a spider goes hunting, a web is attached to the body of an arthropod from its hole. If the web is accidentally torn, the insect may get lost in orientation and then not find its lair. If this happens, the spider digs a new home for itself.

Tarantulas are able to regenerate their limbs. If a spider lost a leg in a match with another individual or while hunting for prey, a new one grows in place of the lost limb after a while. The regrown foot of the tarantula is smaller than the rest of the legs.

Conclusion

A tarantula bite is a rather unpleasant thing, but not fatal to humans. In an adult healthy person, the bite disappears after 4 days, and after that there are no symptoms of a spider attack. More difficult topics who suffer from allergic reactions. For them, an arthropod attack can manifest itself as serious health complications. Nevertheless, you need to be extremely careful and, if possible, avoid any encounters with the spider. Tarantulas can bite a person, watch the video.

tarantulas- exotic animals. Require minimal maintenance. Tarantula - big spider covered with hairs. There are 900 of them on Earth. different types. Habitat: tropical and temperate latitudes: Central and South America, Asia, South Europe, Australia. AT Russian Federation lives in southern steppes.

Description and features of the tarantula

Type - arthropods, class - arachnids. The hairy body consists of two parts: 1-head-chest, 2-belly, which are connected with a tube - a stalk. The head and chest are covered with chitin; the abdomen, on the contrary, is soft and tender. 8 eyes located at the top, reminiscent of a periscope, help to see the area from all sides at once.

The paws of the tarantula are equipped with claws for extra grip when lifting, like a cat. AT wild nature tarantulas usually move on the ground, but sometimes they have to climb a tree or other object.

In the event of a threat to life, the tarantula rips off the hairs from its abdomen with its hind legs and throws them at the enemy (if this happens, irritation and itching are felt - an allergic reaction).

Of course, the tarantula itself suffers from such actions, as a bald patch will remain on the abdomen. In moments of danger, they make sounds reminiscent of the vibration of the teeth of a comb. They have excellent hearing. Recognize the sounds of human steps at a distance of up to 15 km.

Tarantulas are brown or black in color with red spots and stripes. In nature, there are small, medium, large tarantulas. American spiders reach sizes up to 10 cm. Ours are much smaller than overseas relatives: females -4.5 cm, males -2.5 cm.

The bite of a tarantula is not fatal to humans, but it is very painful.

Minks dig to a depth of up to half a meter near water bodies. Pebbles are removed. The inside of the dwelling closer to the entrance is woven with cobwebs, the threads are stretched inward, their vibration tells the tarantula about the events taking place above. In the cold period, the hole is deepened and the entrance is closed with foliage intertwined with cobwebs.

Reproduction and lifespan of a tarantula

AT warm time years, adults are busy looking for a pair. In males, the instinct of self-preservation is dulled, so they can be seen even during the day. When he finds a female, he taps his legs on the ground, vibrates his abdomen and quickly moves his limbs, announces his presence.

If she accepts courtship, repeats the movements after him. What happens next is lightning fast. After the transfer of sperm, the male runs away so as not to be eaten by the female, since during this period she needs protein. Then the female falls asleep until spring in her mink.

In the spring, she will come to the surface to expose her belly sunbeams, then lay eggs (300-400 pcs.) in a woven web. Then he puts it in a cocoon and wears it on himself.

As soon as the babies show signs of life, the mother will gnaw through the cocoon and help the spiderlings out. Babies will nest on their mother's body in layers until they become independent. Then the mother will resettle the young, gradually throwing them off.

Tarantula food

They actively hunt at night. big spiders catch , ; small - insects. And they do it very carefully. Slowly creeps up to the victim, then quickly jumps and bites. big booty haunts for a long time.

Pictured is a rare blue tarantula

In fact, they are docile and rarely bite. For such large predator as a person, poison will not be enough. The spider, most likely, will act reasonably, and will not attack a large, dangerous object.

Tarantulas are fragile creatures. They have very thin skin. Falling is deadly for him. Therefore, it is not necessary to take the spider in hand. They produce silk for their web. Females need silk in the “interior” of the burrow to strengthen the walls, males need it as a packaging material for storing eggs, and traps are also made from silk near the mink.

Tarantulas grow throughout their lives, changing their exoskeleton several times. Using this fact, they can regenerate lost limbs. If he has lost a leg, he will get it in the next molt, as if by magic.

It may not come out the right size. Age matters here, the time of the previous molt. But that's not a problem. The leg will grow with each molt, gradually acquiring the desired length.

Types of tarantulas

The Brazilian jet black is a popular house spider.. Impressive, jet black, casts blue, which depends on the lighting, its dimensions are 6-7 cm. It is calm, elegant - and one might say, obedient.

Pictured is a jet-black tarantula spider

Native to Southern Brazil. The climate is humid, with frequent rains. In warm weather (May-September), the temperature rises to 25 degrees, in cold weather it drops to 0 degrees. Due to slow growth, they mature only by 7 years of age, live a long time, about 20 years. cold period spends in a hole, so the bottom of the terrarium is covered with a fairly thick layer of substrate (3-5 inches).

Suitable soil, peat, vermiculite. In nature tarantula dwells in the forest floor near stones, hides in tree roots, hollow logs, abandoned rodent burrows, so shelters and recesses are needed in the substrate.

Small crickets are suitable for young individuals, adults are large, other insects, small lizards, naked mice. For him in the terrarium (volume of 10 gallons, not necessarily high), you should put a shallow container of water (a saucer will do). They may go hungry for several months.

Well known in Russia South Russian tarantula . Its color is different: brown, brown, red. Habitat - steppe and forest-steppe zone of the south, in last years and middle lane Russia.

Pictured is a South Russian tarantula

Apuleian - poisonous spider. Larger than ours. Distribution area - Europe.
-White-haired - the baby is cheaper, but because of the good appetite, it grows faster than other brothers.
-Chilean pink - pet stores most often offer it. The most beautiful and expensive type of Mexican scorched - prohibited for export from natural places habitat.
Golden - a friendly creature, so named because of the bright colors of huge paws, the size of which grows more than 20 cm. The new kind and is expensive.

Pictured is a Chilean pink spider tarantula

Costa Rican striped - difficult to care for, does not bite, but with a bad habit of disappearing.
- Afonopelma is copper, now you can already buy it, but not in the store, but by order.

Online stores provide an opportunity to see tarantulas in the photo and check prices.

Tarantula is a genus of araneomorphic spiders belonging to the wolf spider family. They live mainly in arid regions such as steppes and deserts. During the day they hide in burrows, and at night they go hunting. Spiders roam the ground in search of insects. Tarantulas, unlike many other species, do not weave nets, but use the web only to strengthen dwellings.

In the world there are more than two hundred varieties of tarantulas inhabiting places with temperate and tropical climate. Some of them also live in Russia.

Name etymology

This name comes from one of the varieties of spiders that live near the city of Taranto. According to local residents fifteenth century spiders were the cause of the disease called "Tarantism". According to legend, the bite of this spider infected with an unusual disease, which led to inevitable death, and the only possible way to recover was a special, very energetic dance - the tarantella (known to this day). It was customary to think that the dance should draw all the strength out of the "patient" along with the disease.

Appearance description

tarantulas have a double, hairy body and two pairs of four paws. It consists of two parts - the cephalothorax and the abdomen. The spider has eight eyes on its head that allow it to look around 360 degrees. Almost all subspecies are black or brown in color (there are bright exceptions).

American tarantulas are much larger than other species, they can reach ten centimeters, the span of paws is up to thirty centimeters. Tarantulas, who lived much smaller in Europe, rarely reach five centimeters. Males are smaller than females.

Many confuse the species of tarantulas with other large spiders, for example, tarantulas (most consider them to be tarantulas). This opinion is fundamentally wrong, since the tarantula belongs to mygalomorphic spiders. Over time, the error became entrenched in society and culture.

The appearance of these beauties can be assessed in the photo.

Lifestyle

Spiders spend most of their time in on their own dug, burrow. Tarantula burrows can be up to 25 centimeters deep. Inside each hole, a wall of leaves and cobwebs is cultivated. For protection from rains or before the onset of winter, the spider goes even further and closes its "hut" with the help of cobwebs and earth.

The tarantula is a predator, and therefore is often in search of prey. Spiders hunt mainly at night, sometimes during the day, waiting for a victim near their home. Almost all careless insects fall under the insidious ticks of tarantulas, among them: caterpillars, bears, crickets, beetles and others.

Tarantulas prefer to stay as close to "home" as possible, they carefully defend their territory defending itself from strangers. In cases where the spider needs to move away from the hole, he ties himself to it with a web to make it easier to find his way home. The only way to force a creature to leave home territory is mating season, at this moment the spiders forget about everything, lose their heads. As a result, they are able to go a long way in search of a suitable female.

reproduction

If the male managed to find a worthy candidate, he decides to hit her. After a brief courtship, the spiders bond. Unfortunately, this relationship was not destined to end long and happy life. At the time of mating, the male should be as careful and tense as possible, because at the end of this process the female will try to bite her "boyfriend" and dine with them. The fate of the male depends on how fast his reaction is (many manage to escape). The female, being already fertilized, continues to live alone.

Tarantula

Eggs the spider lays in her hole. At an early stage, they are stored in a cocoon, which she drags along with her throughout the entire period of "gestation". Even after birth, baby tarantulas live on the mother's back until they become more independent (learn to hunt and crawl).

Known Species

Poisonous or not?

One of the most important questions related to tarantulas is whether they are poisonous or not, are they dangerous to humans? Despite the many legends, a lot of misinformed people and confusion with other types of spiders, the tarantula is believed to be dangerous. Yes, the spider is poisonous, and its poison can kill, but only animals. A tarantula cannot harm a person, and its bite will be akin to a bee or hornet sting. Moreover, the tarantula will not look for you and attack, despite the fact that it is a predator. You can provoke him to attack only by invading his territory or destroying his house (banal self-defense).

It is important to understand that don't deliberately ask for a spider attack which is unknown to you. AT certain time year, for example, in the spring, at this time the poison of spiders is gaining strength (it is more toxic) and some individuals can lead to unpleasant consequences with their bite. An infected person may experience nausea, dizziness, and others like them (not fatal, but creepy and unpleasant).

According to the degree of danger, the poison varies depending on the season:

Spring - at this time, the spiders wake up, have a rather weak poison;
Summer - finally awake, the poison intensifies several times;
Autumn - the power of the poison is again on the decline due to the approaching hibernation.

Tarantula as a pet

Tarantula is a wonderful pet. The spider does not ask for a lot of food, is quite unpretentious in terms of living conditions, is relatively safe (poisonous, but calm and docile) and interesting. They are also very beautiful, for example, the black Brazilian version. In general, these creatures are very popular, many people buy American spiders for themselves, and someone gets by with South Russian ones.

Choosing a spider preference should be given to the female because they can live much longer.

Tarantulas are a genus of large venomous araneomorphic spiders that belong to the wolf spider family. Preferred Environment tarantula habitats - steppes, deserts and other arid regions. However, they can also be found in the forest-steppe zone. During the daytime, spiders hide in vertical burrows, and at night they crawl out to the surface to hunt insects. They use their web exclusively for covering walls and forming an egg cocoon, and not for weaving trapping nets.

All tarantulas are poisonous to a greater or lesser extent. Their venom apparatus includes chelicera segments, claws, venom-producing glands and ducts. Poison-producing glands are located in the cephalothorax. The ducts of the glands pass through the claws and open on back side each point. When attacked, the muscular membrane of the gland contracts and a transparent oily drop is thrown out poisonous substance up to 0.5 mm in diameter.

How to protect yourself from a tarantula bite

Tarantulas don't usually attack humans first. In most cases, biting is done by females who are protecting their cocoon with eggs or newly hatched spiders. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from their bites, it is enough to follow a few elementary rules:

First, for parking in field conditions give preference to flat areas without stones, cracks, tufts of dry grass.
Secondly, tightly close the entrance to the tent.
Third, carefully inspect bedding before going to bed and clothes and shoes before using them for their intended purpose.
Fifth, do not collect brushwood, dry grass for a fire at night.
Sixth, do not allow children to remove the tarantula from its mink using a wax or plasticine ball attached to a string.
Seventh, place special protective nets on the windows in the rooms.
Eighth, when you spot tarantulas, don't tease them. Remember, sensing danger, they can jump up and bite a person.
Ninth, use special insecticides to kill tarantulas.

What are the consequences of a tarantula bite

As already mentioned, all tarantulas are poisonous. The severity of poisoning largely depends on the race, gender, age of the spider, season, and other factors.

In April, newly awakened tarantulas are very inert. The venom of the female of the large race is slightly toxic. In mid-May, the period of oviposition begins, and their activity increases, and with it, the toxicity of the poison increases by 2 times. In early June, that is, during the period of mating and migration, the toxicity of tarantula venom increases by another 3 times. And only in mid-September, before the wintering of spiders, the toxicity of their poison decreases by 2 times. In mid-August no sexually mature females large race (10th age) emit a significantly less toxic poison than mature females. The toxicity of the venom of a young tarantula of a small race, moreover, weakened by wintering, is characterized by the least toxicity.

Tarantula venom has a neurogenic effect on the central, peripheral nervous systems, can cause neuromuscular disorders, disorders in the functioning of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems. First of all, the central nervous system, there is an increase in the tone of the vasomotor center. Then there is the depletion of the central nervous system and vasomotors.

In the south of the European part of the Russian Federation, the South Russian tarantula is most common. It can also be found in Ukraine and Belarus. His bites are shallow. The poison enters the skin and does not pose a danger to human life. It can lead to serious violations only in people disposed to allergic reactions, and in children. Often the body reacts to a tarantula bite in much the same way as a couple of bee stings. However, the spider bite causes more pain than a bee, and is somewhat reminiscent of a wasp or hornet sting. At the site of the bite, two spots are clearly visible, which are at a distance of 3-15 mm from each other. These are traces of chelicerae.

Symptoms of a South Russian tarantula bite:

local pain,
redness of the skin at the site of the bite,
edema,
local tissue necrosis,
general malaise,
state of drowsiness
short-term increase in body temperature.

Some victims may develop an allergic reaction to a tarantula sting, which is accompanied severe pain, swelling, itching and rash around the bitten place. In severe cases, there is difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc.

What not to do when bitten by a tarantula

Do not cauterize the bite site. Most toxicologists consider this method highly ineffective and even dangerous.
It is also not recommended to dissect the affected area, as this is fraught with infection.
You should not rub, scratch the wound for the same reason that was described in the previous paragraph.

What measures can be taken when bitten by a tarantula

1. Wash the bitten area warm water with antibacterial soap or, in its absence, with plain hand soap, being careful not to rub the skin too much.
2. Treat the wound with an antiseptic.
3. Apply cold to the affected area. It can be ice, a bottle of cold water, etc. Hold the cold for 10 minutes, then take a 10-minute break and repeat the procedure again. Continue these manipulations until the pain subsides.
4. To eliminate swelling, lift the bitten part of the body and hold it in this position.
4. Stay calm.
5. Drink plenty of fluids, this will ensure faster elimination of toxins from the body.
6. If an allergic reaction occurs, take antihistamines.

If a tarantula has bitten a child or a person with a weakened immune system, disposed to allergic reactions, if the victim's health deteriorates sharply, one should without fail seek medical help.

Interesting facts about tarantulas and their bites

In several European languages, including English, the word tarantula often refers to tarantulas. Therefore, there may be some confusion with the translation. In the current biological systematics, "tarantulas" and "tarantulas" do not intersect in any way.
The Apulian tarantula is the most famous all over the world. He lives in Italy. And it is especially common in the vicinity of the city of Taranto. In the Middle Ages, the Apulian tarantula was considered very poisonous and attributed to it various painful seizures, in which sick people danced to exhaustion. To cure them, they played certain music, so the popular tarantella dance appeared.
AT traditional medicine of past years, for the treatment of tarantula poisoning, often used vegetable oil, insisted on the tarantulas themselves. Since the blood of these spiders contains an antidote to the secretion of their poisonous glands, this method cannot but be recognized as rational.